(AP) Everyone with high blood pressure — some 72 million Americans — should own a home monitor and do regular pressure checks, the American Heart Association and other groups urged Thursday in an unprecedented endorsement of a medical device for consumers.

High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes and death. Having it checked a few times a year in a doctor's office or at the drugstore is not enough to keep tabs on it, and regular home monitoring is more accurate, the new advice says.

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- More than 100 million Americans should be monitoring their blood pressure at home, according to three major health organizations that are issuing recommendations on what to do and how to do it.

"We have an estimated 72 million [people] with hypertension [high blood pressure] and another 25 million with pre-hypertension," said Dr. Suzanne Oparil, professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

By Ed Edelson
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- A bundle of four offbeat biomarkers accurately predicted the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in a study of older Swedish men, researchers report.

By Ed Edelson
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Heart failure is as crushing a blow to someone's psychological well-being as cancer, a new study finds.

MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Cocaine use can sometimes be the hidden culprit when young or otherwise healthy patients complain to doctors of chest pain, according to a new scientific statement released Monday by the American Heart Association (AHA).

Physicians need to query patients as to whether they may have used the drug in such cases, the experts said.

(HealthDay News) - It's important to follow your doctor's instructions precisely when taking any medication, especially if you're taking more than one.

The American Heart Association offers these suggestions:

* Schedule a time to take your medication every day.
* Try to take your meds when you perform another daily activity, such as brushing your teeth.
* Use a day-of-the-week pillbox.
* Mark the day off on a calendar when you've taken your medication.

By Alan Mozes EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter SATURDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- "Nothing draws attention like a little red dress," noted First Lady Laura Bush, speaking in the heart of New York City's fashion district Friday. The attention was really focused on a very serious issue -- the threat to American women from the nation's number one killer, heart disease.